uvLayer, a startup that has built an intuitive webtop for sharing YouTube videos and other media, has launched the latest version of its site which introduces a host of new features, including support for more IM networks and Flickr search. uvLayer has slipped under our radar until now, but their product is impressive, allowing users to search for and organize media much as they would on their computer’s desktop.
These ‘desktops in the cloud’ (called canvases by the service) can be made public, allowing users to browse through the media you’ve collected in an organized manner. These canvases are useful for purposes beyond pure entertainment – for example, teachers can organize videos into appropriate lessons folders for their students.
uvLayer also includes support for sharing individual videos over IM. The site has integrated with major chat networks including AIM, Yahoo, MSN, and Gtalk, making it a simple process of checking off user names when you’d like to share a movie clip or photo with some of your friends.
The company first launched in January with an application based on Adobe’s AIR platform, but soon moved on to develop a version that could be run directly in the browser with Flash. The AIR app is still available, but doesn’t add much beyond allowing users to watch movies outside of their browsers (there’s also some integration with Facebook, but this functionality will likely be coming to the Flash version soon).
In the future the company hopes to adapt its technology to touch screens and to a wider array of devices. But for now, it still has some work to do – while the interface is great, the selection of content sources is very small (sites beyond YouTube and Flickr will be integrated in future releases). It would also be nice if the site supported user-uploaded content (everything on your webtop currently has to be hosted elsewhere).
There are a few other sites working on similar webtop interfaces, including Wixi, a TechCrunch40 company covered here.
i tried out that site and to me its just to busy for me. i see no real value there unless you are someone who likes information overload
Interesting thoughts. I respect your confidence and the way you speak your mind. Who are you mystery commentor?
i agree, information overload
If it’s new, many people will try it. However, it does kind of sound like it may be in the beginning stages. Try as I might, I get sucked into trying these things out too soon and don’t end up getting the full impact. Hopefully I can find a friend that’s willing to let me try it out before I rush out and pay my hard-earned money on it.
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And the age old question:
How do they plan to monetize it? Please don’t say ‘advertising’ – ugh!
I think that a user interface on your content, wherever it’s hosted, is definitely the future. We’re developing WorldTV.com in a similar direction.
Nice one – I just checked out your worldtv.com site. How many users have you signed up since launching recently?
Hi Chris. We just went through the 100,000 channels mark – around 750,000 viewers per month.
looks fun to play with, but still I dont get, why do people spend so much time and energy into something that definitely is not going to turn profitable.
FYI their flickr integration seems to fall short of the flickr API Terms of Use. I’ve given them some feedback hoping they comply before the major flickr groups start discussing and complaining. Namely there is no way to navigate back to the flickr photo page as required.
Did somebody said an iPhone app?
thank you men
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Why would they add GaduGadu?
Hey Everyone – Take a look at our holiday version of uvLayer (snowman, tree, falling snow, all that good stuff). Its filled with seasonal photos and videos.
http://www.uvlayer.com/holiday
Cheers,
Michael